Reflector element



Jan. 9, 194-5. A. M. TAYLOR REFLECTOR ELEMENT Filed July 13, 1942all/Ill). 1 7 i AUGUST MTAYLQR INV ENT OR.

Patented Jan. 9, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFLECTOR. ELEMENTAugust M. Taylor, Clarendon, Tex, assignor of one-half to Ben Wilkinson,Fort Collins, Colo.

Application July 13, 1942, Serial No. 450,675

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in reflectorzelements for signsof different kinds. I Since the advent of theautomobile with itspowerful headlights, signs depending on reflected light from theheadlights for their visibility have become very common. Signs of thereflecting type will naturally operate with any light source. I am awarethat many different kinds of reflector units have been invented andpatented and this invention therefore does not relate broadly to suchelements but to an improved construction only;

;It is the object'of this invention to produce a reflector unit orelement or such simple construction that it can be r'nanufactured andsold at a moderate price.

if Another object is to produce a reflector element that will be visiblethrough an angle of over 180 degrees, and which'can therefore be seen Ifarther than reflectors that respond only to light incident throughangles less than 180 degrees.

A-further object is to produce a reflector element that will be luminousover its entire exv posed surface when light rays are incident thereon.

A further object is to produce a reflector unit that can bemade of anydesired size and which can be'used asclearancelights on automobiles andtrucks as well as for outlining the roadways at night, and which will beparticularly well suited for house numbers, for street signs and similarpurposes on account of its large angular range and cheap ness. 7

The unit that forms the subject of this inventionand which willhereinafter be described in detail, briefly described, consists of aspherical member of transparent materialsuch as glass or one of the manytransparent plastics, an ordinary clear glass marble is well suited forthis purpose. A portion of the outer surface, less than one-halfthereof, is covered with an opaque material, preferably of such materialas of itself possesses reflecting properties. The redebtor is mounted ina holder in which the entire uncovered surface is exposed. Such a unithas important optical properties that will be explained in detail as thedescription proceeds.

Having thus briefly described the invention,

the same will now be described in detail and for this purpose referencewill be had to the accompa'nying drawing in which the invention has beenillustrated, and in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a roadway on which there are twoapproaching automobiles and a reflector sign positioned to one sidethereof;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a reflector element looking in thedirection of arrow 2, Figure 4;

Figure 3 is a diametrical section taken on line 3-3, Figure 2; I

Figure 4 is a side view of one of the reflector elements, the supportingplate being shown in section;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a post showing one of the reflectorelements secured to the top thereof;

Figure 6 is a view illustrating in .a general way a house number;

Figure 7 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 4, but showing aspecifically diflerent means for securing the reflector in position in aholder;

Figure 8 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 3 and showingspecifically different means for securing the reflector in the holder;

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the paths of rays of lightincident on a spherical reflector embedded half its diameter in anopaque reflecting substance;

Figure 10 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 9, but shows areflector in which the reflecting element is embedded less than half thediameter in a reflecting substance; and

Figure 11 is a side view of an automobile fender showing one of thereflector elements secured to the upper surface thereof.

In the chawing reference numeral l5 designates a reflector elementwhich, in this case, is spherical and can be made from clear glass orany of the many transparent plastics. The center of the element has beendesignated by letter C. This reflector element is embedded in acementitious reflecting material which has been designated by referencenumeral IS. The reflector element and the cementitious material arepreferably contained in a cup-like housing I! like that shown in Figures3, 4 and '7, or like that shown in Figure 8 and designated by referencecharacter Ila. In Figures '2, 3 and 4, the reflector unit comprising theelement 15, the reflector material [6 and the container I! have beenshown as positioned in an opening in a plate l8.

In this particular construction the container ll shown in Figures 2, 3and 4 is provided with an outwardly extending flange l9, which serves ormore outwardly extending projections 20a,

which pass through notches in the flange l9 and engage underneath theflange after being rotated slightly in the manner of a bayonetconnection.

Referring now to Figure '7, itwill be seen that the flange l 9 of thecontainer I1 is provided with a plurality of openings 2| through whichthe, 7

wires 22 extend. A metal cap 23 covers the upper polar zone of thereflector element and this has a plurality of outwardly extending lugsor ends 24 that are perforated for the reception of the wires-'22. Whenthe reflector element is secured to the container by the means shown inFigure 7, the anchoring rib 29 or the corresponding an"- choring lugs amay be dispensed with. The cap 23 can be made much smaller thanindicated in Figure 7 and the wires 22, being of small diameter,intercept a very small portion of the light and therefore theconstruction there illustrated is substantially as efficient as theconstruction shown in Figures 3 and 8, but Figure '7 does not show thepreferred construction. A transpare ent spherical reflector element hascertain properties that are taken advantage of in this invention andwhich will now be pointed out.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 9,

attention is. called to the ray of light designated side of thereflector element perpendicularly and is therefore reflected in the samedirection at which it entered. This is true for all rays of lightpassing through the :center and thereforeany ray of light so strikingthe reflector element will return to its point of origin. The ray oflight designated by reference numeral 26 strikes the outer surface ofthe sphere at an angle and is therefore refracted downwardly and isreflected from point 27, passing below the center'C and strikes theopposite surface of the reflector at point 28 from which it is againreflected and passes out of the reflector element at point 29.

Attention is called to the fact that the ray of light, impinging in themanner illustrated by ray 26, does not return to the point of origin,but emerges in a substantially opposite direction. For the purpose ofefficiency, reflector signs should be so constructed that the light fromthe automobile headlights 30, Figure 1, are reflected back so as tostrike the eye 3| of the driver. To obtain the desired return path ofthe rays of light, the reflecting material H5,- in accordance with thisinvention, terminates a short distance below the equator of thereflector so as to leave a zone like that indicated by reference numeral32 in Figure 10 between the reflecting material and the equator.

Referring now to Figure 10 attention is directed to the ray of lightdesignated-by numeral 33 which impinges on the outersurface of thereflector element at an angle and whichis therefore downwardly refractedas it enters the reflecting element and strikesthe opposite surface ofthe reflecting element at point 34 from which it is reflected andstrikes the other side of the reflector at point 35, which is locatedabove the upper surface of reflecting material [6. The major portion ofthe light due to ray 33 therefore emerges in the direction of the lineindicated by 33a and returns substantially to the point of origin. Ofcourse there is some internal reflecting at the point 35 which causeslight to emerge from the opposite side in the manner explained inconnection with Figure 9. Since the light does not strike the reflectingelement as a single ray, but as a beam of some area, it is evident thatrays of light will strike the reflecting element in manydifferent pointsover the entire surface exposed to the'light beam. A major portion ofthis light will'return towards the point of origin and other portionsthereof, due to internal reflection, will serve to make the entireelement luminous so that it may be seen from almost any position whereits outer surface is visible.

Particular attention is called to the fact that by the simple expedientof exposing more than one-half of the spherical reflector element agreatly-improved result is obtained over a construction likethat shownin Figure 9 where only one-half of the spherical reflector element isexposed and with greater force does this apply if the reflectingmaterial I6 extends above the equator.

Referring again to Figure 10, attention is directed to the ray of lightdesignated by refer-;

ence numeral 36 which has its origin below the equator plane and which,if it approaches in such a direction that it passes through the center Cis reflected back in the opposite direction and from this it can be seenthat a reflector element positioned with more than one-half of itssurface exposed will be visible through an angle of over degrees.

Reflector units constructed in the manner above described can be usedfor various purposes, some of which will now be pointed out.

Referring to Figure 6 it will be seen that a number of these units havebeen arranged so as to form the number l0 and this illustrates a housenumber and can also be employed for any other purpose. Instead offorming numbers,

letters can, of coursefbe formed in the same.

manner.

been positioned. Any light striking this reflector unit will be visiblefrom all directions due to the In the above description several useshave been pointed out,- but it is not the object of this.

specification topoint out every use to which'the whether specificallyenumerated'or not. the reflector elements 15 are spherical and can bemade-of clear glass, they have the appearance of an ordinary marble andare mostly of the size invention can be put, as it is believed that all,uses not herein pointed out will be covered- Since;

of ordinary marbles, varying from one quarter inch in diameter to anydesired size.

An elementponstructed in the manner shown in Figure 4 or 7 can be madewith a reflector element of four. inches or more in diameter and r canbe placed on a, roadway in the manner now referred to as reflectormaterial may be, plaster of Paris, sulphur, a low melting metal alloy orany other suitable material. The light is reflected from the innersurface of the spherical reflector element and does not depend entirelyon the reflecting properties of material I6.

A light reflecting unit comprising a spherical body of transparentmaterial having a polar zone of less than 180 degrees embedded in anopaque cementitious material, the uncovered surface, including the zonebetween the covered surface and a diametrical plane, serving tointercept rays of light which, after refraction and internal reflection,are projected therefrom, a cup-like member in which the cementitiousmaterial is contained. A cap in engagement with the central portion ofthe exposed polar zone of the spherical body and tension membersconnecting the cap with the outer edge of the cuplike member, forholding it in place in the oc- Having described the invention what isclaimed 15 titi material,

as new is: 5

AUGUST M. TAYLOR.

